Chapter 10

“Hey. C’mere.”

The kiss was gentle and chaste, almost as hesitant as their first, but with the trust and certainty of their second, and Tav squeezed Luca’s hands tightly before pulling away.

“You scared the shit out of me.”

“Wasn’t my fault David jumped on my head.”

Tav laughed, his throat harsh, and rubbed away the last of the tears. “Maybe not. Which side is less bruised?”

“Left.”

Tav returned the abandoned controller and found the spare before crawling over the bed and tucking himself into the sheets on Luca’s left side, dropping his head to kiss a shoulder as Luca exited the game and opted for the multiplayer scenario.

“I had to watch them give you CPR,” he whispered faintly, and Luca hooked a foot over Tav’s under the covers.

“I’m okay,” he repeated.

“It was…it was horrible.”

“I’m okay, Tav.”

“I know,” Tav mumbled. “I just…I need to stay here for a bit, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.”